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Thanks largely to Burberry Prorsum, whose autumn/winter collection this year included a whole lotta hearts, heart-print is BIG right now. We’re pretty happy about this, we must admit: hear-print is basically the slightly cuter cousin of the polka dot – it’s fun, it’s sweet, and it comes in so many different forms that it would probably be difficult not to find at least something we liked.

On the flip-side, this print is super-sweet and super-girlie,and for some people it’ll be SO sweet it’ll give them a toothache just to look at it. Keep it small, and stick it on a classic, button-down shirt and it won’t be too hard to wear, but put large hearts on a baby-doll style dress, say, and you could well find yourself veering into Dress Like a Toddler territory. Our best advice is to keep things “grown up” with simple shapes and un-fussy accessories – or even none at all: this is a print that really speaks for itself.

Of course, not everyone can afford Burberry’s prices, so if you heart heart-print (so to speak), you’ll be pleased to know the high street has fully embraced the trend, with a wide range of heart-print pieces at much more affordable price points. Here are just a few of them…

[a pattern] of very wide checks, often in white or other light colors on top of a darker background. The name comes from the fact that the pattern does indeed look like a series of windowpanes

So, exactly what it sounds like, in other words.

Most of the windowpane check we’re seeing right now is of the “black on white/cream” variety, which we like, purely because it’s nice to see some lighter colours being used in winter clothing for a change. There’s also a fair amount of black, navy and tan around too, though, so if white is too bright (or just too hard to maintain), at least you have some lower-maintenance options to fall back on.

This is a print that crops up on men’s suits fairly often, and this helps lend it a slightly formal feel, although obviously how you wear it depends on the item it’s attached to. It’s a print that’s currently being used on everything from skirts and dresses to socks and pyjamas (midi skirts and cigarette trousers are particularly prone to getting the windowpane check treatment), though, so it can really be as casual or as dressy as you want it to be. And needless to say, although it’s currently “trendy”, it’s another one of those prints that tends to stick around, so it’s not going to look dated in a few months’ time.

What do you think of windowpane check? If you’re still undecided, here are some pieces currently available to buy on the high street: just click the image to go to the retail website.

Gallery | Windowpane check

Rihanna’s latest collection for River Island has been getting lots of plaudits on Twitter this week, so we decided we’d better take a look and see what all the fuss was about. Well, first of all we’re going to be generous and assume it ISN’T about either of these:

Adult onesies. GOD. What do we have to to make this ridiculous trend (And yes, we’re calling it a “trend”: they may technically be lounge/sleepwear, but when they’re included in a celebrity fashion collection and most major brands stock them, that’s a trend, people. And it doesn’t seem to want to die.) We’ve already pointed out that they make adults look like toddlers. That if someone knocked on the door while you were “lounging” in a giant rabbit suit, you might feel pretty silly. That the “So! Comfy!” argument only really works here if you never have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and we’re old, so we do. (Question: do the adult onsie-wearers put on the onesie to lounge in, and then change into something else to go to bed? Because we just can’t see them being all that “comfy to sleep in, but surely that extra outfit change kinda negates the “lazy” aspect, which is presumably the whole point of onesies?)

Um, that turned into a bit of an un-planned attack on adult onesies, didn’t it? It’s not that they don’t deserve it, obviously, but back to the topic at hand: Rihanna for River Island. And these shorts:

Leather. Mesh. Shorts. And a high-shine version too, no less. We’re genuinely curious about who’s looking at these and thinking, “Yup, that’s where my £90 is going this month!” Because, well, it’s NOT US. Is it you? Are you desperate to get your hands on these? How/where will you wear them? These are serious questions: The Fashion Police need to know, so please feel free to enlighten us if you can.

While we wait for the answer to that particular mystery, we present the following evidence from the rest of this collection. These items will be available in selected stores from tomorrow, and some of them can be pre-ordered online now. Some of them have already sold out online, too, though, so that’s another mystery to be addressed.

Oh yeah, and there’s another pair of “bin-bag” pants. We can already tell this is going to be our next pet hate.

As always, take a look and tell us what you think!

GALLERY: Rihanna for River Island

The autumn/winter 2013 Topshop Unique collection hit stores and sites this morning, and already some of the key items have started to sell out (If you have your heart set on one of those pink coats that are oh-so-trendy this season, then we’re afraid you’re going to have to look elsewhere: the version by Unique was gorgeous, but it was gone within hours, sadly…), so we figured we’d better take a quick look at the collection before it’s gone for good.

Much of this collection is predictably trendy. Aside from the pink coat, there’s also a whole lot of of patent leather/vinyl:

We can see some potential in the skirt on the left, but as for the other pieces, well, we’re afraid they just look cheap to us… which is ironic, because most of the items in this collection cost upwards of £200. The trousers in particular have a bit of a “bin bag” vibe about them, and… let’s just say we won’t be crying into our Cornflakes when this “wipe clean” trend is finally over.

On a more positive note, we’re much more enamoured with some of the silk and sequinned pieces, which use bright, pastel shades to great effect, and have a luxurious feel to them which makes the high prices less of a surprise:

It looks warm. That’s as much as we’re willing to say about it, though.

And this:

Which is totally a pair of joined-together silk pyjamas, isn’t it? A £200 pair of joined-together pyjamas. Interesting.

The rest of the collection is available to view and buy at the Topshop website, but as for how long it’ll remain there, we have no idea, so go and take a look while you can: but don’t forget to come back and give us your verdict!

GALLERY | Topshop Unique Autumn/Winter 2013

Click on each image to go directly to the product page, or view the entire collection – or what’s left of it – here.

We feel like we should have called this post “Mad for Plaid” or something similarly cheesy: that IS what almost all of these photos have in common, after all.

Next aren’t the only brand to be embracing plaid for Winter 2013: in fact, most of the brands we’ve previewed so far have included the print in some form or another, and that’s not surprising – it’s yet another one of those so-called “trends” that are actually not trends at all, because they crop up at the same time every year.

While Next aren’t the only ones touting plaid as an important part of the upcoming season, however, they do seem particularly enthusiastic about it, putting it on shirts, trousers, skirts and even tights. This season’s plaid is the grungy, outdoorsy type, rathwr than the preppy, tartan variety of last season: think lumberjack shirts and cabins in the woods, as opposed to cashmere sweaters and strings of pearls.

What do you think of it, though? Take a look at the gallery below to see some more…

Gallery: Next Autumn/Winter 2013 Collection

We’re not going to lie to you: the second we finished uploading these photos, we headed straight over to the Marks & Spencer website to see if any of this stuff was available yet. Specifically, we were looking for the coats. Oh, those coats! At a time when most high street outerwear collections have been uninspiring to say the least, we think M&S have really pulled through, with a selection of luxe-look, vintage-inspired styles which are just packet full of good, old-fashioned glamour.

And ARE they available yet? Well, some of them are. Certain items, however, such as the powder blue coat (which is such a refreshing change from the usual dull winter colours) is already starting to sell out in some sizes, however, so if you do see something you like from this collection, you might want to buy it sooner rather than later. Yes, even although it’s still only August. Well, summer IS the best time to buy coats, after all, and sometimes it’s the ONLY time to buy them before they sell out completely. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?

Take a look at the collection below, and don’t forget to tell us what you think of it!

Gallery: Marks & Spencer Winter 2013 Collection

A few things jump out at us about the ASOS Autumn/Winter 2-13 collection:

1. Leather. Lots of it. Mostly on skirts and dresses, but there’s plenty of other leather to be found, too. We’re loving some of the dresses, and we particularly like the full leather skirt: a great way to put a modern spin on a classic item.

2. Wet-look fabrics. High shine, high impact… high likelihood of getting you arrested for committing crimes of fashion? We’ll see.

3.Grunge-inspired plaid. Every single year. Every. Single. Year.

4. Orange. We’d make a lame “orange ya glad” joke here, but we just bet ya ain’t – glad, that is. Well, it’s a tough colour to wear for many of us, but if you can make it work, it can have a whole lot of impact, so it really just depends on whether or not you can pull it off: or THINK you can.

5. THIS ITEM:

We’ve been staring at this for a very long time now, and we’re still no closer to being able to imagine anyone looking good in it, but if you think you can prove us wrong, go for it.

Some of these items are actually starting to filter onto the ASOS website already (Damn those retailers and their eagerness to put an end to summer and get us all into our winter duds ASAP!), while the rest will be available at some point in the coming weeks. Now that you know what you’re going to be dealing with from ASOS this winter, however, we need to know how you feel about this collection. Are you excited to wear any of this, or do you think it should all proceed directly to Fashion Police jail, without passing ‘Go’ or collection $200? Tell us in the comments sections – but take a look at this first:

Gallery: Winter 2013 fashion from River Island

OK: it’s August. We’re still enjoying the summer, but as reluctant as we are to even think about it, Autumn will soon be drawing in, which means it’s time for us to start taking a look at the Autumn/Winter collections and passing judgement upon them.

As always, we’re kicking off with a look at the new season looks from Primark, who are already selling some of these items (although not all of them) in stores. This is, needless to say, a very small selection of what the brand will have to offer (Primark is to fast fashion what McDonald’s is to fast food, after all, and their selections are changing constantly), but it gives you a small taster of what you can expect, which seems to be lots of dark clothing (Surprise, surprise!), lots of plaid (Even more of a surprise!), and a small, but very welcome, smattering of lighter, brighter pieces, such as the pale pink outerwear.

Perhaps it’s because the summer has been a particularly nice one (Now, that actually IS a surprise!), or perhaps it’s just the way this collection has been shot, but this collection seems very dark and dreary to us, and not exactly the kind of thing that’s guaranteed to have us running to our nearest store to buy some of it.

That said, when the winter gets under way, we may find ourselves changing our minds on that one. For now, though, we’ll turn the evidence over to you, in the form of the gallery below. Your task is to take a look at the evidence and deliver your verdict: what do you think of the Primark Autumn Winter 2013 collection? Does it leave you feeling inspired for the upcoming season?

Gallery: Primark Autumn Winter 2013 Collection

We’ve talked a lot about swimwear, and one-pieces in particular, lately, but the cute styles just keep on coming, and there’s still plenty of summertime left to wear them in: or we hope so, anyway.

This season, we’ve been particularly impressed with Topshop’s offerings in the beachwear department. While many swimwear brands take the retro route when it comes to one-pieces (And hey, no complaints from us there!), they’ve managed to keep their collection a little more contemporary, using interesting prints and streamlined shapes to create suits which are flattering and forgiving to the figure, while still looking very fresh and “young”.

Topshop also have a great selection of bikinis on the site at the moment, so if that’s more your speed, you can take a look at them here.If you share our love of the one-piece, though, take a look at some of the pieces from the current collection below, or visit the Topshop website to buy.

Full skirts: The Fashion Police love ’em, as you can probably tell from many of our outfit picks. When we heard that they’d be making a “comeback” for Fall 2013, then, our first reaction was, “Comeback? Why, where have they been?” and our second was simply, “Oh, who cares: bring it on!”

Yes, full skirts are officially back in fashion: so naturally, we want to know what you make of looks like this:

Full skirts, of course, have been around for a very long time, and while they’re most often associated with the 1950s, the concept is much older than that. It’s that 50s silhouette which the looks above are making reference to, however: the words “ladylike” and “feminine” are the ones most often used to describe this particular style, and as you can see, while some of these skirts have been given a bit of a modern edge, with slouchier shirts and a touch of chambray, it’s all still very classic, with pointed toe shoes and clutch bags.

Full skirts come in every kind of length imaginable, but the look of the moment stays faithful to that 50s inspiration, with a midi length, nipped in at the waist, and cut either with our without pockets (our preference is WITH: we can never resist a skirt with pockets…). It’s a style that many people resist, feeling that the longer length will be frumpy and old-fashioned, but if you want to give it a go, take a look at our article on how to wear a midi dress (The same rules apply), and consider giving the look a more contemporary edge by pairing your skirt with a slouchy sweater, logo T, or another, more casual piece.

Oh, and although the runway, as always, sets the trends, the high street is never far behind, and there are already plenty of affordable full skirts to choose from the usual suspects: take a look at the gallery below for a few of our favourites!

Gallery: Full Skirts

Earlier this week we took a look at some of our favourite one-piece swimsuits, so today we’re redressing the balance by focusing on some beautiful bikinis.

Although bikinis can be a little daunting if you’re not totally comfortable about bearing all on the beach, they remain a summer classic, and luckily there are enough different shapes and styles to suit just about everyone. Here are some bikinis we’re currently loving the look of…

One pieces used to be considered the frumpy older sisters of the sexier, more stylish bikini, but these days one pieces have come into their own, and are once again starting to be seen as a glamorous alternative to the bikini, rather than the last-ditch option for those who aren’t quite brave enough to bare all.

Far from being “frumpy”, one pieces can be hugely flattering on just about any figure. The right one piece will hold you in, create curves even if you don’t have any, and allow you to actually go for a swim without worrying about something falling out of your bikini. Oh, and you won’t have to worry about trying to suck in your stomach either: many of these one pieces are designed to either pull in the stomach like shapewear, or cunningly disguise it with some well-placed folds.

Perfect for those who love retro-inspired fashion, many one pieces play up the vintage look, with a liberal use of polka dots, stripes or brilliant, bold colours. Lower-cut legs, or skirted styles will flatter the thighs in a way bikinis don’t often manage, and underwired cups add extra support up top, if you need it. It used to be the case that if you wanted retro-style swimwear, you’d have to be prepared to pay extra for it, but these days many high street stores are selling affordable one pieces which look just as good as their more expensive counterparts – try Primark or George if you’re looking for retro-inspired swimwear on a serious budget.

We’ve selected ten wonderful one pieces for the gallery below, all from the UK high street. Take a look, and tell us – have you been converted to the wonder of one pieces, or do you prefer the good ol’ bikini?

Well, OK, maybe “the height of fashion is a bit of an exaggeration. This isn’t exactly a high-fashion look by anyone’s standards, but our officers have noticed an increase in the number of comic-print clothes available from mass market retailers recently. The items shown in the gallery below are all available to buy now, and they cover everything from jewellery and other accessories to trousers, dresses and even underwear. Oh, and it doesn’t matter who your favourite comic book hero is, either – Superman, Batman, WonderWoman, She-Ra: the gang’s all here.

The prints we’re describing as “comic book” range from classic pop art to entire comic strips, with a handful of “POWS!” and “BANGS!” thrown in for good measure. As with almost everything in fashion, this isn’t a new look, and we saw quite a few comic prints last year too, albeit at the higher price-point demanded by the likes of Marcus Lupfer and Phillip Lim.

What do we think of all of this? Well, we actually love pop art prints – to hang on the wall. As for these particular items, we tend to find them a little bit cheap looking, and perhaps more suited to teenagers than grown women, but as we’re sure someone will point out, that could well be because we’re “just too old and fat to wear them!” Quite.

What do you think of comic print clothing? Is it something you’d wear, or do you consider it to be a crime of fashion?

Bird print: like florals, it comes around every spring. Also like florals, it’s fresh, feminine, and a pretty obvious choice for things like sundresses and skirts. (It’s probably worth noting here that many bird prints actually contain florals as part of the design, hence the similarities). This is also a rather more whimsical, quirky kind of print than its floral sister, though, so if you like to be able to use those particular words to describe what you’re wearing, it might just be for you.

We’ve tracked down ten bird print pieces, all available now on the UK high street. These range from cute tops and simple scarves to bird print dresses and skirts: take a look at the gallery to see if there’s anything that takes your fancy…